National Treasure: The Knights of Enniskillen
by RedFalcon2419
Summary: Sequel to Into the West. The Gates Family finds the pathway leading to another treasure lost through the ages, and soon find themselves on a new adventure, meeting new faces, and facing old foes as the trail leads them to another piece of lost history.


National Treasure

The Knights of Enniskillen

Chapter 1: A Knock at Midnight

Looking out over the shadows cast upon the horizon, the silhouettes of distant hills darkened by the fading light of the evening sun, Ben drew in a deep breath and exhaled, watching silently as the mist from his breath disappeared into the cold winter air. Christmas was coming, and this year he and Abigail looked forward to the arrival of the holidays, as it would be the start of a new beginning of some new traditions, some old traditions, and a clever combination of both. His gaze into neverland from where he stood in front of their house was abruptly interrupted by the high –pitched honk from a large red van parked in the driveway.

"Ben?" Riley yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Is everybody ready?"

"Yeah, we're coming." A young man's voice interrupted Ben. He turned around to see Armando coming down the front steps, zipping up his coat. "Ben, I finished replacing all the light bulbs in the chandelier in the dining room and Abigail said we can get it hanging from the ceiling again tonight when we get back tonight."

"Good Man, Good Man." Ben said with a grin and a nod as Armando took off down the icy sidewalk to the edge of the driveway, where Riley had parked the van. This reminded him of one of the cons of living in a 240-year-old house, the requirement of constant upkeep. Over the past few months, the burden had been eased by a great degree, because it was far more productive with six pairs of hands rather than just two. The con didn't bother him one bit, because it allowed him to connect with the history of the house. Since Riley and the Salinas children moved in with Ben and Abigail, they had decided to let go all the hired staff they had kept before, which was only a handful of workers. Their Butler, Ernest, was the hardest to see go, but as a going away present they gave him enough money for a trip back to his native Scotland, where he could visit his family. Ben and Abigail both agreed on doing it, because they knew, as did Riley, that doing things together as a family helped bond the new family together, as well as help Armando and the girls adjust to their new lives.

"Look out DC, here we come!" Anita proclaimed as she swept passed Ben and scrambled towards the van.

"Wait for me!" Josephine cried as she also ran past Ben. He stood and watched in silence as the girls joined their brother in clambering into the van.

"Careful!" Abigail shouted from behind Ben. "It's icy out there!"

"Don't worry Abs, I've got it under control." Riley called from the other side of the van. He had climbed out of the driver's seat and began moving things around in the van to make way for the kids.

"I'm talking about you too, Riley Poole!" Abigail barked. "You'd better have stayed out of those presents in the back!"

"Alright, alright!" Riley said with a very subtle sigh. Abigail stopped next to Ben and put her hand on his shoulder.

"How do you think he would react if we told him those wrapped presents were all empty boxes?" Abigail asked with a smirk.

"He would not take it well." Ben said, shaking his head slightly as not to attract his best friend's attention. "He would then proceed to turn half the state of Virginia upside-down until he found what we got him."

"I must admit doing that was a good idea." Abigail said with a sigh. "Spared the house from the wrath of Riley Poole."

"Yeah." Ben agreed. "So you having so many pairs of shoes did have a practical reason behind it."

Abigail glanced him crossly, then with a sarcastic look on her face she let out a soft chuckle.

"Well, I guess that means we've still got solving puzzles and vice-versa down to an art, don't we?" Abigail whispered as she kissed the side of his face gently. He was about to turn back towards her when he heard the horn from the van honk loudly.

"Will you two hurry up?" Riley shouted. "Time's a'wastin!"

Rolling their eyes, Ben and Abigail both walked down the sidewalk, side by side. Rummaging through her purse, she made sure she had her lists, wallet and checkbook, while Ben simply checked his back pocket for his wallet. Abigail took the front passenger seat, while Ben took the driver's seat. Meanwhile, Armando and Riley occupied the two center seats and Anita and Josephine took the farthest back seats.

"Well, it's about an hour's drive into the city. Are you guys up for a movie?"

"Yeah!" Josephine squealed. "The Polar Express!"

"Alright, alright sweetheart." Abigail said with a smile, digging through their DVD case to find the right disk. Is everybody alright with that movie?"

"Yep."

"Alright."

"Fine by Me."

"Well, then I guess we're ready to hit the road." Ben said as he started the van. With a cracked smile, he put the van into gear and drove down the driveway, occasionally glancing into the mirror and seeing everybody's faces. It was something he seemed to do every chance he got.

* * *

Barely five months had passed since the last great treasure hunt, which reunited the same team which had found the Templar's Treasure beneath the streets of New York City and the City of Cibola nestled deep within the hills of South Dakota in the previous years. Sophie's Treasure had since been divided up amongst dozens of museums and galleries across the world, and the lost city of Kokato was in the final stages of preparation for its inclusion within the Grand Canyon National Park. For Ben, it had been a time of triumph for the things and people he loved, but at the same time it had nearly cost him his life. There were times in the passing days, weeks and months since the incidents of those summer weeks where the thoughts of what could have happened to either his family or the treasure if things had played out differently had cast a dark shadow over Ben. Fortunately, Ben was able to shake off the gloomy feelings by looking towards the future.

He and Abigail were now husband and wife, and were getting closer as a couple as time went on. His relationship with Riley was still the same as ever, more as brothers than friends. Patrick and Emily had come to visit from Philadelphia once every few weeks, bringing much needed support and care for the family. There was still pain from the wounds inflicted by Ian Howe and his men. For Ben, the bullets which had been fired into his back sat in a small glass box on his desk, a reminder of the sacrifices he had made that day. He had decided to keep them because the sight of them was empowering to him. It reminded him that light prevails over darkness. Although he still had his bad moments, sudden chills and waking up out of breath in the middle of the night, he was still pushing forward, towards something better.

Abigail had gained much strength and courage from the experience, although still fairly shaken up. She thanked her lucky stars every day for the people in her life, whom had since become more important to her after the previous summer. Her hair had since grown back to the flowing blonde it once was, but just as with Ben, exterior looks did not quite match her inner turmoil. She was still plagued with nightmares and moments of traumatic recollections. The thought of becoming a widow before they had even been married left a lasting impression on her. To her, that feeling was a double-sided sword. On one side, it terrified her, and on the other side, it made her stronger, fearless. It was a battle within herself which she was slowly winning.

Riley, having experienced more prior trauma than any of them, had really stepped up and taken on a great level of responsibility. He had been there to help Ben with his physical therapy and other stages of recovery, and had been a good friend to Abigail, also almost like a brother to her. While Ben was in the hospital, Riley kept Abigail on an even kilter by sitting with her and talking her through her frantic worries, watching romantic comedy after romantic comedy clear through the nights. At first he only planned on living with Ben and Abigail for a few weeks, but before long both he and Ben and Abigail decided that the best place for a family was under one roof, and that there was plenty of room for him in their new lives together.

In the months since returning from the west, Patrick and Emily had barely been away from their son for more than a few days at a time. It wasn't until nearly a month after their return that they even returned home to Philadelphia. Patrick had been in almost constant contact with Pete Sadusky and the FBI, looking into the status of their hunt for the man who nearly took his son's life. Emily's shock was eased by constant and consistent phone calls to both her son and Abigail. Having been faced with a parent's worst nightmare twice within a thirty-six hour period, the knowledge her son was still going strong kept her going strong as well.

Of everybody involved in the quest to find Sophie's treasure, none had paid a price nearly as much as Armando and his sisters. It had cost them the last piece of their family, their home, and the only lives they had ever known. Ben and Abigail both knew how important it was to offer them places within their family without trying to replace their grandfather's memory. Even the adoption lawyer recommended that they make efforts to help the children preserve as much of their old lives as they possibly could. Along with the floral urn which held their mother's ashes, a similar urn for their grandfather's ashes now sat atop the fireplace mantle at the Carroll estate. While Armando had his car and Joe Salinas' watch on his wrist, Anita and Josephine each had their own pieces of their old lives. In the library, Ben had cleared out an open section of shelves in which for Anita to keep her grandfather's massive collection of history books and magazines. Ben and Riley moved one of the big armchairs into the corner for her and had a side table with a lamp on top placed next to it for her, and there were many cool autumn evenings whereas Ben would walk down the hall and through the crack in the door he would see her in that corner reading. Meanwhile, Josephine had her own way to preserve their grandfather's memory. From all the belongings taken from their grandfather's trailer on his farm, one of the many possessions she clung to was his large collection of family photographs. All fall, every day after school she'd gone sorting through the old photographs, and with help from her brother and sister, had begun sorting them into collections to make albums. She called them her 'memory books', visions into the past for a child who never got to fully know her family beyond her siblings.

Regardless of their experiences of the last summer, the quest for the treasure of lost history had not stopped for any of them. In September, not long after the children had started school, Ben and Abigail took them to the sites of Jamestown Colony, the island of Roanoke, and the battlefield at Gettysburg. The trip to Gettysburg was done late in the night when none of them could sleep, and during the trip Ben and Riley introduced them to the songs of Steppenwolf, just as the two of them had listened to on that trip that stormy night many years before. They also visited the historic neighborhoods of Baltimore and Philadelphia, the site of Washington's camp at Valley Forge, and above all else, the family took a weekend trip to New York City. While they were there, Armando, Anita and Josephine cast their eyes upon the name of their father, victim of a fate none of them had ever imagined he had faced. It had been a time to share each other's company, express feelings of grief and anger, and find their way towards recovery, one day at a time.

* * *

As to be expected in any large city, the shopping centers within the metropolis of Washington DC were packed with people snatching up all the good bargain priced items. After spending two hours at the Barnes and Noble in Alexandria, Ben and Abigail brought Riley and the kids to Macy's at the Ballston Mall. After meandering their way through the parking garage and finally finding a spot, they all headed straight for Macy's, as Josephine was looking forward to meeting Santa Claus.

"It's another first for her." Armando whispered to Abigail as they walked towards the cluster of elevators which would take them down to the ground level of the mall. "We didn't see very much shopping malls on the reservation."

"Well, I'm glad she's so excited." Abigail said, looking at how she was pulling Riley ahead of the group by the hand, as the rule whenever they were out in the city was that she needed to be holding somebody's hand. As they worked their way through the crowds of people both leaving and going into the mall, they finally reached one of the express elevators. On the way down, the kids were mesmerized by the view from the elevator, which was made mostly of glass windows. Level after level there were stores packed with people, and amidst all the crowds were Christmas trees, wreaths with ribbons, lights strung around almost everything, and Christmas carols playing over the intercom system.

"Now remember, everybody, we need to plan accord-" Before Abigail could even finish her sentence, all three kids bolted from the elevator towards the large fountain at the foot of the elevator landing. "Hey, remember, the goal is _not _to get separated!"

"They're fine, Abigail." Ben said with a smile. "Let's let them enjoy them-Josie! Don't walk on the edge like that, you'll fall in!" Ben rushed past Abigail to make sure Josie got down off the edge of the fountain. After stepping off the elevator, Abigail watched as Josephine hopped down and apologized to Ben. He knelt down in front of her and told her a few things Abigail couldn't understand, but after a few moments Josephine wrapped her arms around Ben's shoulders and he lifted her onto his back. From atop his shoulders, Josephine flicked a dime into the fountain, holding her breath and making a wish. She smiled as she looked on to Armando and Anita, who were both standing with Riley with their backs against the fountain. Each with a coin in hand, they flicked them over their shoulders. Abigail watched as Armando and Anita's coins landed in the water, while Riley's landed in a woman's coffee cup a few feet further away. In less than two seconds, Riley turned away from the fountain to conceal himself from the older woman, who was now looking crossly along the row of children lining the fountain.

"Well, Riley. I hope you didn't make too big of a wish on that coin." Ben said with a laugh as they all walked away from the fountain.

"Don't worry, I didn't." Riley said as he sighed silently.

"Who knows, maybe that might bring you some good luck." Abigail said.

"Maybe." Riley responded.

As Riley walked past Ben, Josephine looked and thought she saw something peculiar on the back of his head. Before long, Ben drew his attention and he paused for a moment, both he and Josephine staring briefly at the giant wad of chewing gum stuck in Riley's hair.

* * *

"_ACK!"_ Riley hissed as he picked pits of gum from the spot on the back of his head. "Why does this always happen to me?"

"Maybe you should watch where you flip your coins." Ben said as he gulped down a Pepsi. The two of them were taking a break on a bench near the edge of the food court while Abigail and the kids were shopping. As Riley scratched and picked at the back of his head, he looked as Ben finished off his fourth bottle of soda, then looked back at him.

"Maybe you should watch the Pepsi before you blow out your bladder."

"Hehe." Ben chuckled sarcastically. As he stopped, he leaned back and stared up at the ceiling.

"Is that the painkillers?"

"Yep." Ben said, smacking his lips. "They're like little sponges sucking every little drop of water out of me."

"Well, they seem to be helping you heal." Riley said, grabbing a wet wipe from Abigail's purse to wipe off his hands. "You're walking with that same old stride again."

"Do you really think I've made it that far back?"

"Well, you did just carry a seven-year-old clear across the mall on your back. I'd have to say that's progress."

Ben nodded with a weak smile. He was still astounded at the good tidings the past few months had brought them. As he always liked to think, the lessons learned from the past can lead to a better future, and it seemed as though the Gates family was finally well on its way to better times. Ever since being released from the hospital, Ben's mood had changed drastically. As strange as it seemed, he just seemed happier. It had become as if hardly anything could upset him, coming in the form of a great sense of inner peace to the turmoil which had raged inside him for many years. To an even greater astonishment, he could also see this very same mood in Abigail and Riley, and his parents. Even greater of an astonishment was the presence of that same peace of mind present in the Salinas children, regardless of all the losses they had dealt with. Ben didn't know if it was the lessons from the story of Sophie Hughes, or if it was the experience of finding her treasure, or if it was simply how grateful he was to be alive, that seemed to neutralize so much of their inner turmoil.

"What's on your mind, bud?" Riley asked.

"Huh?"

"You're daydreaming again." Riley said, crossing his arms. "Are you thinking about him?"

Ben casually glanced around to make sure Abigail and the kids weren't around. "Ian?"

"No, Santa Claus." Riley said. "Ben, that nutcase is still out there."

"Yeah, and if he knows what's best for him he'll stay out there, _away from us._"

"Well, Ben, we have cost him something that could have set him for the rest of his life and dignified his family name, _twice _now."

"I know. Riley." Ben said, straightening his back. "I just don't want to worry Abigail and the kids about it."

"How can you not?" Riley asked. "I know for a fact she's just as pissed at him as I am over this."

"True." Ben agreed. "However, she deals with her anger differently."

"If I can recall the number she pulled on him at Kokato, I beg to differ."

"Riley, I know." Ben responded. "But we both agreed that we wouldn't worry ourselves about it unless it was absolutely necessary for the sake of Armando and the girls."

Riley raised his eyebrows. "Really? I'd think if there's anybody who would be wanting to hunt him down it would be those three."

"_Riley, for Christ's sake! They just buried their Grandfather!"_ Ben hissed under his breath.

Riley fell into a hush of silence, having no more to say. It was now clear of the boundary he had established for the kids, as the same boundaries had once been established for him.

"It's just so frustrating." Riley said with a sigh. Ben watched as Riley sulked back into the backrest of the bench and stared up at the ceiling.

"I know." Ben said. "It was a lot of things."

"He almost killed you, Ben."

A hush of silence surrounded the two men where they sat. Ben sat leaning forward with his hands crossed in front of him, and did his best to swallow that knot of tension he'd felt mounting in his throat. As Riley rubbed his eye gently, Ben put his hand on his shoulder.

"I'm still here, buddy." Ben said, looking Riley straight in the eye. "I'm still here."

A moment passed, and Riley took a deep breath and cracked a smile. "I'm sorry for that."

Ben shook his head. "Nothing to be sorry for."

"It's frustrating for me because you're my family." Riley said softly. "All of you are my family."

Ben nodded with a cracked smile.

"Yes, we are family." He said, his hand still on Riley's shoulder.

"Riley, we just took in three very hurt and scared kids, and they need us now just like you did when we first met."

Taking another deep breath, Riley now found what he needed to calm himself down, Ben's encouraging words. He seemed to be hearing them more and more since last summer.

"You're right."

"We're not only trying to protect them, Riley." Ben said. "We're trying to keep them out of trouble."

After Riley took another deep breath, he cracked a smile and began picking through his shopping bags. Ben leaned back again, rubbing his eyes.

"_Well, as least some of the turmoil anyway." _Ben thought.

* * *

"What about that one?" Anita asked.

"Hmm?" Abigail responded, looking to the silver diver's watch Anita was pointing towards.

"Do you think Riley would like that one?"

Abigail paused to think for a moment. "Yeah, it does seem to fit his style."

Anita smiled as the saleswoman at the Jewelry counter at Macy's boxed up the watch. Abigail turned around when she felt a tugging on her jacket.

"Abigail?" Josephine asked eagerly. "Do you think Emily would like this one?"

Abigail looked and saw the red and black checkered scarf the little girl was holding.

"I didn't go far." Josephine said, referring to the rule that she stay nearby when in public places. She then pointed to the rack she found the scarf on, which was only a few feet away.

"Good job, Josie." Abigail said with a smile, putting her hand on Josephine's cheek. She knelt down and took a look at the scarf Josephine had picked out. "And I think Emily will love this."

While Abigail was occupied with Josephine, she didn't notice Anita placing the earrings she had picked out. They matched the gold necklace Ben had given Abigail on their wedding day. She pulled out her wallet and signaled for the salesperson, motioning for her to be quiet as the woman the earrings were for was standing right next to her. Anita quickly paid for the earrings in cash, took the receipt and slipped the earrings into her coat pocket before Abigail turned around. As they kept looking through the watches and accessories, Abigail noticed Anita was fidgeting with her hands.

"Anita, are you alright?"

Anita released a deep sigh. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Doesn't sound like fine." Abigail said. "Is there anything I can help with."

Anita slipped into silence for a few moments, looking back at Abigail nervously.

"Whatever it is, you can ask me or tell me." Abigail responded, consistently making sure she still had Josephine's hand.

"Abigail, when you found out what happened to your biological parents in Germany, how did it phase you?"

Abigail sighed, recollecting back to that moment when she was twelve years old, when her adoptive parents first told her she was adopted.

"It was hard at first, really shocking." Abigail responded. "But over time I just learned to accept it as part of my reality."

Anita looked at her with a curious expression. "How?"

"Well, it did take some time to get used to knowing, but what I did was I decided that I wanted to find out more about my biological parents, and where I came from."

"What did you do?"

"My parents helped me get in contact with the adoption agency, and they helped me track down the uncle who took care of me after my birth parents died. I wrote him a letter, and he wrote me one back, and we wrote letters to one another for about six years."

"Did you ever get to meet him?" Anita asked.

"Just barely." Abigail responded with a solemn look on her face. "When I was in college, he became very ill and wasn't given much time to live, so during my summer vacation I went to Germany and visited him."

"Did he recognize you?"

"Nope." Abigail said. "After all I was barely a toddler when I saw him last."

"Did he tell you about your birth parents?"

"As much as he could." Abigail said. "What they liked, what they didn't like, and what they were like."

"Did knowing those things help you at all?"

"Greatly." Abigail said. "It helped give me a better sense of who I was."

Anita nodded. "That was nice that you got the chance to do that."

"It happened just in the nick of time, because he died barely two months after I met with him."

Anita paused. "I'm sorry."

Before long, Abigail fully understood what was swirling about within the young girl's mind. "I know it's scary to try to find your way through everything that's happened, but it will be alright."

"It just makes me a little nervous at times." Anita said, looking at the floor. "Don't get me wrong, everything that you've done for us had been amazing and we love our new lives here, but I just can't shake off that fear of forgetting everything we had."

Abigail nodded in understanding. "That's understandable. Now, what can you do about that?"

Anita took a deep breath and gently wiped her eyes. "I think a little reading when we get home will help my mind settle."

Abigail smiled and put her arm around Anita's shoulder. In turn, Josephine put her arm around Abigail's waist, who then put her other arm around Josephine. Together they finished up shopping at Macy's and headed back to meet up with Ben and Riley.

"Abigail?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think we'll ever go on another treasure hunt?"

"Oh, I'm sure we will someday." Abigail said.

"Good." Anita said with a smile. "That would really make me feel better."

* * *

Scanning through the shelves of books, Armando walked in a steady line, trying to balance the stack of books he was carrying with one hand and looking through books with the other hand. He'd picked out _A Child's Guide to Scrapbooking _for Josephine, _A History of the Navajo Nation _for Anita, _In Search of American Jewish Culture _for Riley, _Native American Architecture _for Emily, _Masonic Enlightenment _for Patrick, _A World Divided: The Berlin Wall _for Abigail and _Immigrant Voices: New Lives in America _for Ben. They were among only a few of the dozens of books he'd found which he had thought everybody would love. Carefully switching which hands held the heavy stack of books, Armando suddenly came across a rather familiar looking book with a soft white cover on the edge of the "New Releases" section in the American History section. The cover and spine reading _Sophie's Treasure._

"_Way to go." _He whispered to himself as he looked at one of the copies. It really gave him a moment to be proud of the accomplishments of _both _his families. Inside the front cover was a picture of him with Anita and Josephine by the big stone door, followed by pictures of them with many of the artifacts found in the cavern beneath Kokato. Knowing he already had three copies at home, he put the book back in the stack and headed for the cash register. As he waited in line, he noticed a woman in the line parallel to his was flipping through that very same book. After a few seconds, she looked up and saw how he was looking at her, and much to his surprise, a smile came to her face.

"Hello." The woman said. She appeared to be about ten years older than Abigail, and was dressed as if she was headed for a meeting with the president. "Pardon, but would your name happen to be Armando Salinas?"

"Yes, it is."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, young man." She said, extending her hand. Balancing his stack of books again, He reached out his own hand and shook hers. "It's just incredible the discovery you made out west."

"Thank you."

"I'm Dr. Barbara Compton. I work in the history department at Georgetown University."

"Georgetown?" Armando asked. "That's where Ben went to school."

"Ben?"

"Oh, Ben Gates, the Treasure hunter. He and his wife are my adoptive parents."

"Oh, yes, now I remember." Dr. Compton said with a smile. "He was quite the curious young man."

Armando smiled at her remark. "Were you his teacher?"

"Six times." Dr. Compton replied. "Mostly Civil War Era classes."

Armando remembered Ben telling him stories of how he transferred from Germantown to Georgetown the year after he and Riley took that midnight road trip, and how much fun he had there. "Young Man?" Dr. Compton said.

"Yes?"

"I'm terribly sorry about your grandfather." She said.

"Thank you." Armando said with a polite nod.

With a big smile, she reached into her purse and pulled out a pen. "Would you mind signing this for me?"

Armando looked forward and saw he was next in line. He set his pile of books on the countertop, turned and said the person behind him could go next, and turned to Dr. Compton.

"It would be my pleasure." Armando said, taking the pen and her book and flipping to the first photo of him with his sisters.

_To Dr. Compton-_

_ Thank you for your dedication to the study of American History, and for your condolences. To be blessed with the gift of the understanding of the lessons of the past can bring great rewards not only for you, but for all Americans. Good Luck on forging the way through history and passing your findings on to the historians of tomorrow._

_-Armando Jose Antonio Salinas_

Armando handed the book back to Dr. Compton, opened to the page he had signed. She took a moment to read what he had written, and then looked back to him with a great smile.

"That was so sweet of you." Dr. Compton said. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Armando said. "Listen, I'll be graduating from High School next year and in my picks for college I was looking into going to Georgetown."

"Oh, how wonderful!" Dr. Compton said. "Well, I hope you choose our fine institution. It was nice meeting you!" She said as she walked away.

Armando smiled as he watched her disappear around the corner of the store, and then turned to pay for his books. After he'd paid the cashier and bagged up the books, he headed out to the mall to meet up with his family. As he passed the stores, he was thinking of all the people he and his sisters had met since moving here. Josephine had become friends with almost every kid in second grade and Anita belonged to at least six different co-curricular clubs. They'd each made a lot of friends. Many kids at the private school they went to found the stories of the Navajo he had to tell utterly fascinating. He had even told some Navajo stories for Josephine's class, smiling as he remembered seeing all those kids sitting starry-eyed on the floor. Many of the guys in his class were into studying topics like his, and many other things. There were some days where they would watch some documentaries at the library and then spend the rest of the day skateboarding. Two of his friends, Robert and Alan, had really shown their true colors a few months earlier. In September when school started, one guy named Mike claimed he was an Arab because of his strange accent. Although nobody believed him, he kept harassing Armando, claiming he was supporting terrorism. It finally escalated to the point that Mike took his car keys and scratched "DIRTY ARAB" into the side of Armando's car, an act which horrified much of the school. Luckily, Robert and Alan had seen the whole thing from the basketball court near the student parking lot. Alan recorded it on his cell phone, and they both turned it into the police. Mike ended up being charged with vandalism and suspended from school, but Armando's insight on the situation stemmed from a lesson taught by his grandfather.

"_Those who hurt others are sometimes hurt themselves, so offer them a helping hand in finding their way towards healing."_

Armando used these words of wisdom wisely when he went to the Mike's house, and found out where the guy's hatred against Arabs came from after speaking with his mother. His father had been on American Airlines Flight 77, which had crashed into the Pentagon on September 11. After a long talk with him, Armando convinced him to seek help from the school counselor, and before long they too became friends. His best experience came from meeting the girl who was now his girlfriend of two months, Jessa. She was from Columbia and had not learned English very well. On her first day at the school, she was struggling to find her way around using a Spanish-English dictionary, and at lunch that day she found herself alone. Explaining to his friends the situation, Armando walked up to her and introduced himself in Spanish. She gladly invited him to have lunch with her, which he ended up doing every day for the next three months. He helped her study and learn English, and talked like they were old friends. The main reason for her connection with Armando was not only because of her mother tongue, but because of her membership of the club nobody ever wanted to be a member of. Back in Columbia, her mother had died giving birth to her youngest sister, and her father and older brother were killed in a shooting at their village marketplace. She and her three sisters were sent to Washington DC to live with their Aunt and Uncle. She introduced him to her family, as did Armando to his own, and before long they found themselves going to the school Christmas dance together. It was one of the happiest times of his life.

* * *

Their trip to the mall ended with a pass through the drive-thru at McDonalds on the way out of the city, and with all the presents wrapped and piled in the back, the family settled into watching another Christmas movie. The kids got into an argument over whether to watch _The Polar Express _again or to watch _National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation._ Abigail ended up breaking up the fight by putting in _A White Christmas_, which as it turned out settled well with Riley and the kids. She thought it was kind of funny that Josephine was the only one who recognized who Frank Sinatra was. She was out cold by the time they got home. As Ben drove up the driveway, he and Abigail looked across the snow-covered gardens and fields, enjoying the sense of tranquility underneath the starry night sky. In the rear view mirror, Ben could see both Armando and Anita looking out their windows, up at the stars.

As Ben parked in front of the house, Abigail stepped out and checked on the kids. "You guys head on inside, remember to bring all your things."

Armando pulled Josephine from her seat and began carrying her inside while she slept. Meanwhile, Riley and Anita grabbed all the presents from the far back of the van.

"No peeking, Riley Poole!" Abigail said sternly.

"I know, I know." Riley said as he began walking towards the front door, his arms full of packages. As Anita followed him, she saw him slightly glance in between the wrappings.

"Hey, I saw that!" Anita barked as she followed him into the house.

Abigail could still hear the two of them bickering when she turned back to see Ben standing opposite to her. Silently wrapping his arms around her, he drew her close.

"_Merry Christmas_." He whispered as he kissed the side of her head. Without saying a word, Abigail kissed the side of his neck.

"Merry Christmas, Ben." She said in a louder tone than he had. Concealed within the same shroud of silence, Ben leaned over and kissed her, Abigail raising her arms and putting her hands on his shoulders. Afterwards, they still stood there for a short while, in each other's embrace. As he held Abigail, Ben glanced over to the garage and noticed the garage door was open and a familiar looking car was in the garage.

"Abigail, it looks like we have some company." Ben said.

As they both walked in the door, they almost immediately ran into the commotion in the foyer. They came across Emily hugging Anita tightly and Patrick congratulating Riley on finishing his latest book, _A History of Jewish American Politics_.

"Ben!" Emily cried when her sights fell upon her son. "Abigail!"

"Mom? Dad?" Ben said in a surprised tone. "We weren't expecting you until the eighteenth!"

"Well, I managed to finish up at the University for the semester early, so here we are!" Emily said happily as she released Anita and moved towards her son. Ben outstretched both his arms and took a parent in each. They both held onto him for several moments. "Merry Christmas." He said to both of them.

Almost immediately, Emily turned to her daughter-in-law.

"Merry Christmas, Abigail!"

"Merry Christmas." Abigail said as she hugged Emily. "It's good to see both of you."

"Likewise." Patrick said as he gave Abigail a tight hug. "Now, where are Armando and Josephine?"

"Armando just took her up to bed." Ben said, glancing up the staircase. "She was pretty wiped out from shopping."

"Yeah, Christmas has that effect on people." Patrick said.

"Indeed it does." Anita said. "Here, can I put the presents under the tree?"

"Sure, sweetie." Abigail said.

"Here, I'll help you." Emily said, lifting a bag of presents from the floor near where hers and Patrick's suitcases still sat. The two of them disappeared into the living room, and Patrick began bringing their things upstairs to the guest room.

"Here, let me help you, Patrick." Riley said as he took one of the suitcases from Patrick. "So, read any good books lately?"

"Several." Patrick responded. "Why, are you poking around for another book idea?"

"Yeah, several." Riley responded, drawing a laugh out of both of them.

With a small chuckle, Ben put his arm around Abigail's shoulder. "Well, it looks like we've got a full house this year."

"Yeah." Abigail responded with a smile, resting her head on his shoulder. "Isn't it great?"

* * *

Back in their bedroom later that night, Abigail plopped onto her side of the bed, wearing her plaid pajamas and combed her hair while she waited for Ben to come out of the shower. She could still hear the television playing the movie Riley and Patrick had been watching, while Emily and the kids had all gone to bed. As she combed her hair, she glanced across the room to where her desk was. Next to her laptop was a small brass stand which held one of the finds from the hunt of the last summer. Balanced on that stand was the gold knife she and Riley had found in the hole in the rock on the banks of the Colorado river, that had been the key to finding Sophie's Treasure.

"Ben?" Abigail called towards the adjoining bathroom.

"_Yeah?"_ Ben's voice echoed from inside the bathroom.

"Anita presented me with an interesting question today." Abigail said. From across the room, she saw the bathroom door crack open and Ben's head poke out, hand towel draped over his wet hair.

"What was that?"

"She was wondering if we're ever going to go on another treasure hunt."

"Hmm, interesting." Ben said as he walked into the room in his bathrobe. "Well I'd like to imagine we'd keep our eyes open for another opportunity."

"I know we'd discussed that before." Abigail said, setting her comb on her bedside table, near her alarm clock. "I just wanted to know how you felt on the matter."

She finished her sentence just as he had stepped into his closet. Almost immediately, he poked his head back out into the bedroom.

"How _I_ feel about it?" Ben asked in a surprised tone. "That's like asking Riley if he still likes Little Debbie snacks."

She looked at him with a sarcastic expression. "You know what I mean, Ben."

He most certainly knew what she was referring to, as a reminder of it came to his attention while he was changing into his sleepwear. As he stood in front of the mirror, his eyes fell onto a dark pink line running down the center of his chest. He normally wasn't bothered by its presence, but every now and then when he took a deep breath he could still feel the surgical staples pinching at his skin. He did know that it still was difficult for her though. As he pulled on his fleece pants and buttoned up his nightshirt, Abigail left her place on the bed and crossed the room to enter the closet, where she stood behind him in front of his dressing mirror. At first he nervously tried to avoid eye contact with her, fearing the revealing of the pain caused to her five months ago, to all of them.

"Ben, I would never want you to stop doing what you love." Abigail said, placing her hands on his shoulders. "I still love it too."

"I know, Abigail."

"But knowing that he's still out there, it just makes me nervous." Abigail said softly.

"There's nothing wrong with that." Ben said, fastening the second from the last button on his shirt before stopping. "It's hardly what you would call a simple walk in the park."

"More than that, Ben." Abigail said in the same soft tone. "Every time I go back to that day, the first thing that always comes to my mind is what could have happened that day."

Ben stood in silence before her, slightly lowering his head. "I remember one of Lincoln's best quotes. _All through life, be sure to place your feet in the right place, and stand firm._ For me to not stand where I've always stood because of Ian Howe would be no better than if he'd succeeded."

Not saying anything at first, Abigail wrapped her arms around his torso from behind him, hugging him and pressing her face into his back. "I wouldn't have you anywhere other than where you stand."

After a brief pause, Ben picked up one of his favorite pictures of Armando and the girls, posed beside a large Greek bust recovered from Sophie's treasure. "When I look at how much that treasure has affected them, It makes me even more eager to find the next one, because I know that somewhere out there, there will be someone who will benefit from it just as much."

"I know that to be very true, Ben." Abigail said. "And no matter what you'll never have to stand alone."

* * *

_BANG BANG BANG BANG_

Abigail shot straight up in the darkness, peering around the room. She paused to listen for a few moments, wondering if she'd just dreamed the noises.

_BANG BANG BANG BANG_

"_Ben, wake up! Wake up!" _Abigail hissed, shaking Ben's shoulder.

"_Hmm, what?" _Ben asked groggily in his sleep.

"Did you hear that noise?" Abigail whispered.

"What noise?"

_BANG BANG BANG BANG_

Ben sat straight up in bed almost immediately, his eyes fully opening.

"That noise." Abigail said.

"It sounds like there's somebody at the front door." Ben said as he reached for his robe. He could tell from the sound of the knock that it was against their hardwood door, and from the echoing that it was the front door. Abigail followed him into the darkness as he switched the hallway light on. As the two of them made their way down the stairs, Ben could see something moving outside through the narrow windows on either side of the door. Abigail stayed on the staircase while Ben made his way to the door. Feeling his bare feet against the cold marble floor of the foyer, he'd wished he knew where his slippers were. His thoughts on his feet were broken the moment he opened the door, seeing the face of a teenage girl with red hair come into view.

"_I-Is Th-This the G-Gat-tes Hou-use?"_

To Be Continued…..

Coming Soon:

Chapter 2: Lost in Time

Author's Notes

I'm sorry it took so long to get this story started. It seems like ages have passed since I finished _Into the West_. I plan on updating this story at least weekly, so be prepared to see another exciting adventure unfold over the next few months. Anyway, I will be putting together another soundtrack to add some flavor to the story, so keep an eye out for that too.

RedFalcon


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